Method and apparatus for producing rapid build-up of radio frequency oscillations



Feb. 21, 1950 R. c. JENSEN 2,498,495

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING RAPID BUILD-UP 0F RADIO FREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS Filed Jan. 23, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 OETEC TOR VERTICAL PULJER l PuLsEk L 3 4 Pil 35 JHIFTER SWEEP CIRCUIT Inventor:

Richard CMJ'ensen, I

5/ anwz'm His ttorne Feb. 21, 1950 ENSEN 498,495

R. c. J 2 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING RAPID BUILD-UP 0F RADIO FREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS Filed Jan. 23, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor":

Richard C. J erisen,

Nis Attohney.

Feb. 21, 1950 R. C. JENSEN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING RAPID BUILD-UP i OF RADIO FREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS Filed Jan. 23, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor:- Richard. C.Jense n,' b ,pvm malm' y |-|is Attorney.

R. C. JENSEN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING RAPID BUILD-UP 0F RADIO FREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS Filed Jan. 23, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fagi Inventor: Richard Cldensen,

by j wwy KJMAW Patented Feb. 21, 1950 METHOD D APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING RAPID BUILD-UP OF RADIO FREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS Richard C. Jensen, Scotia, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application January 23, 1943, Serial No. 473,279

13 Claims.

1 The present invention relates to radio locating equipment which in general comprises a transand equipment for coordinating the transmitter and receiver.

An object of my invention is to provide a simplified equipment in which the transmitter serves as a receiver during the intervals between transmitted pulses.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved circuits for controlling the pulsing of the transmitter and for increasing the emciency of transmission and reception.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a high frequency pulsed oscillation generating system and method in which the time required for the build-up of oscillation in each pulse group is materially decreased.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved pulse echo locating system incorporating an intermittently-pulsed local oscillator together with means for increasing the rate of build-up of oscillations therein in response to the receipt of an echo pulse, thereby to increase the reliability and accuracy of pulse indication.

Further objects will appear as the description proceeds,

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of radio locating equipment embodying my invention; Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate operating characteristics; Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram; Fig. 5 shows a transmitter in which the rate of oscillation build-up is increased by the coincident pulsing of a priming oscillator; Fig. 6 shows an ultra high frequency radio locating equipment having a receiver in which the signal acts as the priming pulse; Fig. 7 illustrates the operation of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a modification of the detector; Fig. 9 is a detail view of the crystal used in the Fig. 8 detector; and Fig. 10 shows an arrangement for ganging the tuning of the transmitter and receiver.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings there is schematically shown locating equipment having a 600 megacycle transmitter I which may be a cavity resonator of the construction shown in my joint application with James E. Keister, Serial No. 448,206, filed June 24, 1942, now Patent No. 2,427,558, granted September 16, 1947, connected to a directional antenna 2. The cavity resonator is controlled by pulsers 3 and l energized from a source of alternating voltage 5 and producing periodic square wave or pulse voltages indicated at a 6 and l. The pulse 6, as indicated by its width,

lasts for a much longer interval than the pulse 1. Through a phase shifter la, the timing of the pulse 1 may be adjusted relative to the pulse 8 as shown in Fig. 2.

From tests on cavity resonators with pulse excitation, I have observed that the amplitude of oscillation builds up (and decays) exponentially and may take a relatively long time compared to the duration or length of the pulse voltage. The time of build-up can be decreased by increasing the magnitude of the pulse voltage and also by changing the design of the cavity so as to obtain a greater feedback.

The upper half of the characteristic oscillation envelope is shown in Fig. 3 with the pulse voltages 6 and 1 shown on the same time scale. While the oscillation builds up to its full value along the envelope 8 with the long or wide pulse voltage 6, with the shorter or narrow pulse 1, oscillation builds up only along the initial part of the envelope 8 to point 9, and from this point the oscillation decays along line III.

I have found that rate of build-up and accordingly the sharpness of the pulse can be appreciably increased by coupling into the transmitter oscillator tank circuit a small radio frequency voltage resonant with the oscillator frequency. This small voltage may be obtained from an oscillator ll coupled to the transmitter oscillator through its antenna 2. The efiect of the small radio frequency voltage is to start the oscillation build-up at a higher level indicated by the dotted line i2. This effectively shifts the oscillation envelope to the left so the leading edge now follows the line 8a and the build-up time is approximately one third. While this makes a noticeable change in the oscillation with the pulse voltage 6, the most noticeable change is with the pulse voltage I which now causes the oscillation to build up along the line 8a to the shar peak i3.

Fig. 3 is reproduced from tests on the cavity of my aforesaid joint application when pulsed at its normal operating voltage. In a cavity designed to have a shorter time of build-up at its normal operating voltage, the radio frequency voltage from the oscillator ll produced a smaller change in the rate or time of build-up. However, when the latter cavity was pulsed at a lower voltage, at which the time of build-up was increased results proportionate to those indicated in Fig. 3 were obtained. From this I conclude that the priming eifect of the radio frequency voltage from the oscillator H is more effective in oscillators having a relatively long time of build-up.

The more rapid build-up of the transmitter oscillation when excited by a weak radio frequency voltage is used to indicate the presence of an echo. When there is no echo during the pulse 1 the transmitter oscillates at the negligible level 9, ID. If an echo is received coincident with the pulse 1, the radio frequency voltage of the echo causes the oscillation to build up to the much higher level l3. By shifting the phase of the pulses 1 until the pulses coincide with an echo, a sensitive indication of the echo can be obtained. The sensitivity varies with the intensity level at which the oscillator is pulsed. For best results the pulse width (or voltage) should be such as to produce only slight occillation in the absence of a signal. The proper pulse width (or voltage) can be determined experimentally.

This has been demonstrated by supplying the transmitter with a weak signal from the oscillator II, this signal being of substantially the strength of the echo from the transmitted pulses.

During the tests the transmitting antenna 2 was a. simple doublet coupled to the cavity, and the radiating antenna of the oscillator consisted of the terminals of the oscillator. This was done to simulate the effect of increased distance between the oscillator II and transmitter I. The indication of the oscillation was obtained in a cathode ray tube l4 having horizontal plates l5 connected to a sweep circuit is energized from the alternating voltage source 5 and having its vertical plates I! connected by conductors Ila to a diode detector l8 coupled to the radio frequency energy in the transmitter cavity. The sweep voltage between the horizontal plates produced a horizontal trace IS on the screen of the cathode ray tube and the vertical plates produced deflections corresponding to the rectified envelope of the radio frequency oscillation of the transmitter.

' With the oscillator ll cut oil, the transmitted pulses 20, corresponding to the pulse 6, were clearly observed but only small indications 2| were produced by the pulses I.

By tuning the oscillator Ii to the same frequency as the transmitter it was observed that peaks 22 were obtained concldent with the pulse voltages I. When the oscillator was tuned above and below the transmitter frequency the peaks 22 disappeared and there remained only the much I smaller peaks 2| due to the pulse voltage I. As a further check the oscillator was tuned to subharmonics of the transmitter frequency so as to obtain a correspondingly weaker signal (higherharmonics of the oscillator) at the transmitter frequency. The same effects were observed indicating that the transmitter when energized by the pulse voltage 1 was a sensitive receiver.

The peaks 2| and 22 on the cathode ray screen not only showed adiiference in the amplitude of oscillation, represented by the height of the peaks, but also showed a similar diiference in power, represented by the areas under oscillation envelopes. This was checked by a lamp bulb in the radio frequency field which would light during the peaks 22 but not during the peaks 2|. This provided a rough measure of the relative power under these conditions.

During all of these tests the angular position of the narrow pulse voltage 1 was changed by the phase shifter 1a as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and it was observed that the peak 22 always coincided with the pulse voltage.

It was not necessary that the oscillator be on continuously. The same effect was observed by pulsing the oscillator ll immediately prior to the pulses 6 and I. This was sufllcient to couple a radio frequency voltage into transmitter during the initial period of the pulsing of the transmitter.

through the resistance 26.

4 The shortening of the time of build-up also results in an increase in transmitter eiliciency since plate current flows throughout the voltage pulse while the output does not become appreciable until the oscillation has built up. For a given length of voltage pulse, the coupling in of a small radio frequency voltage results in a greater output and a higher efliciency.

Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram of the transmitter I, the detector 18 and of one of the pulsers 3 or 4 which converts the voltage of the alternating current source 5 from a more or less peaked wave form tosquare wave pulses of variable width for controlling the transmitter for transmission or reception.

The input of the pulser, which is fed from the alternating current source 5 either directly or through the phase shifter 1a, consists of a multivibrator having electron discharge devices 22 and 24 which may be within a single envelope. The device 23, which is normally conducting, has its anode 230 connected to the positive terminal of the power supply through resistances 25 and 25a and its cathode 231) connected to ground through resistance 26. While the device 23 is conducting, the anode voltage is less than the voltage of the power supply by the drop through the resistances 25 and 25a. The grid 21 of the device 23 is connected to the alternating voltage source 5 and is driven negatively during the peaks 21a, causing a decrease in the anode current with the resultant increase in anode voltage which is applied through a condenser 28 to the grid 29 of the tube 24.

The grid 29 has a negative bias obtained from a resistance 28a in series with a resistance 23b across a source of negative bias potential and maintains the device 24 nonconducting until-the negative bias is overcome by the voltage from the anode 23a. At this point 'current flows through a resistance 33 to the device 24 and The voltage drop through the resistance 26 drives the grid of device 23 negative with respect to the cathode of that device, causing a. rapid interruption of the current in the device 23 and a sudden increase in the current in the device 24. This results in a sudden drop in voltage at the anode 3| of the device 24 as shown at 34. As the condenser 28 is'charged, the positive bias on the grid decreases and causes a decrease in the current in tube 24. The decreased current flowing through the resistance 26 renders the grid of device 23 positive with respect to the cathode, causing that device to become conducting, and the decrease in voltage at the anode 23a drives the grid of device 24 to cut-oil. The decrease in current in the device 24 is accompanied by a rise in anode voltage which, as shown at 34, is not as rapid as the drop.

The negative dip in the voltage at the anode 3| has a wave shape determined by the regenerative build-up time of the device 24 and is independent of the wave shape of the alternating voltage supply 5, although a peaked wave shape will provide a more difinite starting point.

The output voltage of the device 24 is fed through a diiferentiating circuit consisting of a condenser 35 and a resistance 36 which causes a more sharply peaked voltage 31 to appear across the resistance 36. This peaked voltage is applied through a variable tap 38 to the grid 39 of a normally conducting electron discharge device III and at some value less than its maximum negative value drives it to cut-off. At cut-oi! the current flowing to the anode 4| through the inductance accepts $2 and resistance 68 is interrupted and a transient voltage is induced in the inductance and is applied through a condenser 44 to the grid 45 of an its connection to the source ofbias potential through an inductance 58 and resistance 49, which normally holds the device 46 at cut-off.

The voltage at the grid 55, shown at 51, rises abruptly to a peak limited by the grid current in the device 46 and lasts until the stored energy in the inductance 32 is dissipated in the grid 45 and r: the associated circuits. As the voltage drops, the :voltage 31 becomes sufficiently positive to make ';the device 50 conducting and any negative tranisient is damped by the flow of current to the an= 5 ode 5 l.

The duration or width of the pulse 4'! is determined by the inductance 42, the negaitve bias on the grid A5, and the magnitude of the voltage ap- Jplied to the grid 39 and could be changed by varying any of these factors. In the present circuit, the inductance 42 and the bias on the grid 55 are fixed so the pulse width is varied by the tap 38. As the tap 38 is moved toward the upper end of the resistance 35, the rate at which the device 50 is driven to cut-off increases, the amplitude of the transient voltage due to the energy stored in the inductance 42 increases, and the device 50 is held longer at cut-off. All of these factors tend to widen the pulse. Variations in pulse width 01 from 4 or 5 to 1 have been obtained.

The device 56 converts the positive pulse t? to a negative pulse 50 at a terminal 5| connected to the anode 52 and through an inductance 53 to the power supply. Prior to the pulse M, no current flows through the inductance 53 and the voltage at the terminal 5| is equal to the voltage of the power supply. At the pulse 51, the device 65 is driven to saturation connecting the terminal 5| to ground through the low impedance of the device. This results in a sudden decrease in voltage at the terminal 5|. With a power supply voltage of 1,000 volts, the terminal voltage may drop to 100 volts, producing a negative pulse of 900 volts. At the end of the pulse 47, the device 55 is driven to cut-off and the voltage at the terminal rises above the power supply voltage due to the induced voltage in the inductance 53.

The above-described pulse-forming circuit of Fig. 4, comprising devices 23, 24, 40 and t6 and associated circuits, is particularly claimed in my divisional application, Serial No. 530,624, filed April 12, 1944, now Patent 2,440,547, granted April '27, 1948.

The negative pulses 50 appearing at the termi nal 5| are used to control a cavity resonator of the construction shown in my aforesaid joint application Serial No. 448,206. It comprises concentric metal cylinders 54, 55 and 56 connected at the upper ends to a grounded metal disk 57 and having recessed in the lower ends an electron discharge device 58 having a glass envelope 59 from which project metal flanges 60, 6| and 52 respectively connected to the anode 63, grid 64, and cathode 65. The anode B3 is connected to a, metal rod 66 which extends out through an opening 6'! in the disk 51 and is connected through a resistance 68 to a high voltage direct current supply 69 which may be of the order of 10,000 volts. The anode flange is insulated from the lower end of the cylinder 54 by a dielectric bushing which is an effective insulation for direct current but not for high frequency. For high frequency the anode flange is effectively connected to the cylinder 56. The grid flange 6| is directly connected by a metal disk 64a to the lower end of the cylinder 55 so that the grid is grounded. The cathode flange 62 is connected to a metal disk H which is insulated by a dielectric bushing 72 from the lower end of the cylinder 56. The dielectric bushing 12, like the bushing 10, is effective for direct current but not for high frequency. The cathode is connected by a conductor 13 through a biasing resistance It shunted by a bypass condenser I5 to the terminal 5|, which, during the intervals between the negative pulses 50, is maintained at a positive potential, for example 1,000 volts, suficient to provide a bias which quickly damps any oscillation. The cathode is heated by bombardment from a grounded filament E5.

The cylinders 56, 55, 55 serve as concentric transmission lines which, as explained in my aforesaid application, when properl tuned serve as oscillatory circuits coupling the electrodes of the device 58. These circuits are tuned by metal short circuiting rings 71 and 18 respectively arranged between the cylinders 5 3 and 55, and 55 and 56, and slideable to the desired positions by rods extending out through the grounded disk 51. The rods 80 for the ring Tl are not shown. The connection to the antenna 2 is through a concentric transmission line 8|, the inner and outer conductors of which are connected to an adjust able loop 82 extending between the cylinders 55 and 55. The feed back coupling between the an ode and grid is adjusted by means of a metal rod 85 threaded into the disk '5! and projecting through an opening 36 in the disk; ii ia into the space between the cylinders 56 and Under some circumstances I have observed that radio frequency energy is fed out through the rod '56. This is prevented in the present construction by an adjustable metal ring 54a slideable along the rod 66 and insulated from the cylinder 55 by an insulating ring 56b. The ring 55a cooperates with the cylinder 55 and the rod 56 to provide a quarter wave length transmission line which offers a high impedance to the outward .fiow of radio frequency energy. The energy which would how out if the ring were omitted is fed back to the cylinder 55 through the capacity between the ring and cylinder.

The negative pulses 50 remove the positive bias on the cathode 65, permitting the building up of radio frequency oscillations in the cavity resonator for a length of time determined by the duration of the pulse. A explained above, the time of build-up may be shortened by coupling a small radio frequency voltage into the resonator, for example through the loop 82, which picks up energy from the oscillator ll through the antenna 2.

During transmission, when a substantial output is desired so as to transmit pulses of radio frequency waves the tap 38 on the pulser is adjusted to provide the relatively long pulse indicated at 6 in Figs. 2 and 3. During reception the tap 38 is adjusted for shorter pulse I so that in the absence of any received signal coupledinto the resonator the oscillations only build up to the negligible magnitude shown at 2| in Fig. 2. Upon coincidence of an echo with the shorter pulse '8 the radio frequency voltage of the ech coupled into the resonator causes the oscillation to build up to the'high peak values indicated at 22 in Fig. 2. Due to the short interval between the pulses 6 and I, I found it convenient to use two pulsers, as indicated in Fig. 1, one being adjusted for the he pulse. It would be possible to make the tubes 69 and 63 common to both pulsers.

While the use of a single pulse? for reception illustrates the operation, it ,is expected in actual practice that a large number of such pulses will be used so as to provide more complete coverage ground through a resistance 8. 'Ihe priming oscillator is so designed that it oscillates at the same frequency as the cavity resonator 83 and so that its oscillation builds up very fast. The coupling loop 94 accordingly couples a resonant priming voltage into the cathode-grid cavity coand that the phase shifting will be automatically I controlled. It is obviously unnecessary that the received pulses I have the same voltage as the transmitted pulses 6. The sam eifect can be obtained by lower voltage pulses I? having a duration such that an appreciable difference in the amplitude of the radio frequency oscillation (or of radio frequency current) is obtained with the coincidence oi a received signal. From one aspect, the transmitter is excited at a high inten-- sity level for transmission and at a low intensity level for reception.

The detector is consists of a diode 8d coupled to the oscillatory circuit by a loop 85 similar to the lcopiir between the tubes lid and 55 and connected to inner and outer conductors 8i and 83 of a coaxial transmission line the outer conductor of which is connected to the ring Ii. The outer conductor 88 is connected to the cathode 89 and the inner conductor 8? is connected through a condenser 96a to the anode 9d of the diode. The positive half of the radio frequency oscillation picked up by the loop 86 appears across the re sistance ti and is fed through conductors Ila to the vertical plates of the cathode ray tube.

Since the rectified radio frequency energy appears in. the external conductors I3 and 92 it is possible, in accordance with the practice in super regenerative receivers, to couple these conductors tothe cathode ray tube provided provisions are made to insulate from the high voltages in these conductors.

In Fig. is conventionally represented a pulse transmitter having a cavity resonator 93 loosely coupled through a link 94 to a priming oscillator 95, both oscillators being pulsed by a source 96 of pulse voltages. The cavity resonator has an anode iii connected through a conductor 98 to the high voltage terminal of the pulser, a cathode es connected to the positive terminal we of a source of bombardment voltage. and a grid Hi2 connected to ground through a grid leak M3. Thenegative terminal of the source of bombardment voltage is grounded and connected to a heater lili from which the cathode 99 is heated by electron bombardment. In the walls of the anode-grid cavity are blocking condensers it which serve as insulation for direct current but not for high frequency. Flanges. I05 on the cathode-grid cavity cooperate with a disk E06 connected to the grid to provide similar insulating or blocking condensers between the grid and cathode. The source of bombardment voltage we is connected through a resistance I01 to the grounded side of the pulsar. In the diagrammatic representation the walls ofthe cavity resonator are shown integralwith the associated electron discharge device although in actual practice the device would be a separate unit insertable into the cavity as in the previously described construction.

The priming oscillator 95 has an electron discharge device Ill! having an anode i I I and a. grid H2 connected to a resonant transmission line H3 and a cathode I connected to the grounded side of the pulser. The anode side of the transmission line is connected to the high voltage side of the pulser by a choke H5, and the grid side'oi the transmission line is connected to incident with the pulsing of the cavity resonator. When the cavity resonator is operated without the priming oscillator 95, the time of build-up is so long that the oscillation does not build up to its full amplitude during the driving pulse. The output pulses, picked up by a loop I08 in the anode grid cavity, are peaked, as indicated at I09. With the coincident priming voltage from -theoscillator 95, the time of build-up in decreased sothat fiat topped output pulses II! are obtained which are of substantially the same character as the driving pulses. The pulses I09 and I" correspond respectively to the pulses 8 and 8a in Fig. 3. The priming oscillator, by increasing the rate of buildaup, increases both the output and efiiciency of the cavity resonator. The beneficial. effects of the priming oscillator are obviously obtainable only in conjunction with oscillators having a relatively slow time of buildup.

In Fig. 6 is shown radio locating equipment having a 3000 megacycle transmitter H8 and a receiver I I9 connected by concentric transmission lines I20 and I28 through a T I2la to antenna in a. paraboloidal reflector I222. The transmitter and receiver are oscillators of the reentrant cavity type having lighthouse tubes I23 and IN (similar to device 58 in Fig. 4) which are shown in elevation with the tube elements diagrammatically indicated in dotted lines. The tubes have cathodes I25 and I26 coupled by condensers i2! and I28 to outer metal cylinders I29 and I 30, grids I3I and I32 connected to concentric inner metal cylinders I33 and I34, and anodes B35 and I36 connected by sliding contacts l3! and 538 to axially movable metal rods I39 and I40. The rods I39 and I40 are fixed to tuning disks MI and I42 having flanges I 43 and I capacitycoupled to the cylinders I29 and I30. The tuning of the cavities. is varied by moving the rods I39 and I40 in and out;

The transmitter oscillator II transmitter oscillations are' picked up by a loop a is driven by a pulser I45 connected to the rod I39 and applyi M0 in the anode grid cavity and connected to 3 the transmission line pulse, upon reaching the mission lines I20. The transmitted junction of the trans- I20 and I2I, divides, part flowing 2; to the antenna I22, and the remainder flowing along the transmission line. HI and driving the grid I32 of the receiver tube I24 to grid current. By means of a grid leak I49 connected I32 and cathode I25, the tube 1 saturate, thus eifectively short T circuiting the receiver end of the transmission I The transmission line I2I .is a quarter between the grid 024 is caused to line I2I. wavelength transmission line. i. e., a transmission line having an electrical length equal to an I odd number of quarter wavelengths at the transmitter frequency. Upon shorting the receiver end of the transmission line I2I the junction with the transmission line I20 accordingly presents high impedance which limits the flow along the transmission line I2I so that the greater part of the transmitted pulse is delivered to the anis tenna.

asaaeas During. the intervals between the transmitted pulses, reflections from the object to be located are picked up by the antenna and conducted through the transmission line I2I to the grid j I82 of the tube I24.

Because the transmitter oscillator H8 is not conducting at this time, the

The receiver is driven by a quench oscillator 1 I50 generating a sine wave voltage which, when added to a bias voltage, periodically applies a voltage to the anode I35 suflicient to start and quench a very weak oscillation at the transmitted frequency. The quench frequency is such that the period of quench voltage is of the same order as the duration of the transmitted pulse i (one half the duration of the transmitted pulse Pin the construction illustrated). voltage applied by the quench oscillator is relaitively low compared to the voltage applied to -.'the transmitter and is selected with reference The maximum to the quench frequency so that the oscillation of the receiver does not build up to any appreciable magnitude. The minimum voltage of the quench oscillator is suflicient to quench the receiver oscillation quickly. In the construction illustrated the pulse voltage applied to the trans-' mitter is of the order of 10,000 volts and the maximum voltage of the quench oscillator is of the order of 400 volts.

The operation of the receiver oscillator is illustrated in Fig. '1 where the reflected pulse conthe previously described construction and cause the receiver oscillation to build up to the relatively large amplitudes I52.

The receiver oscillation is picked up by a loop I53 in the anode-grid cavity and is fed through aconcentric transmisison line I 54 to a loop I55 in the anode-cethode cavity of a lighthouse diode I 56. The diode I56 has a cathode I51 coupled by a condenser I 58 to an outer metal cylinder I59 and an anode I60 connected to a'concentric metal rod IIiI. The anode-cathode cavity is tuned by a slideable metal ring I62 to the transmitter frequency so as to obtain the maximum energy transfer. The receiver oscillation is reproduced in-the diode I55 and is rectified by the diode and conducted to a pulse amplifier I63.

The noise level oscillations I5I appear in the pulse amplifier input as the relatively small peaks I64, and the reflection oscillations I52 appear as the larger peaks I65. The pulse amplifier preferably has the characteristic of amplifying only the low frequency components of the peaks IISI' -.and I 65 so that in the output the peaks I56 ap- ..-pear as rip'ples I 66 and the peaks I65- appear as .a single pulse I61. In Fig. 7 the output of the detector and pulse amplifier appear respectively 10 the voltage of the quench oscillator. This is important since the quench frequency is of the same order as the pulse frequencies, and if the detector were tuned to the quench frequency, the quench frequency would blank the received pulses.

In Figs. 8 and 9 is shown a crystal detector for replacing the lighthouse diode I55 of Fig. 6. In this construction a crystal I69 carried in a suit= able holder I10 is arranged within the transmission line I54, one end of the holder being connected to the inner conductor of the transmission line and the other end of the holder being con-.

nected to a terminal I1 I connected by condensers I12 to the outer conductor of the transmission line. The crystal rectifles the receiver oscillations, producing peaks I54 and I which are fed from the terminal I" to the pulse amplifier I 55, as in the Fig. 6 construction.

The frequency of the transmitter and receiver oscillators ,8 and H9 varies linearly with the axial displacement of the rods I 39 and I .9 throughout the range of operation. is therefore possible to gang the transmitter and receiver for tuning for single dial tuning, as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 10. The ability to vary the transmitter andreceiver frequency with a single dial enables the operator to change the frequency so as to avoid jamming.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 10, a dial I13 drives screws I14 and I15 threaded into a support I16 and suitably connected to the rods I39 and I40. The screw I15 is driven from the screw I14 through gearing I11.

In preceding portions of the specification I have described certain circuit modifications in which a local source of priming oscillations is periodically pulsed. In particular, Fig. 5 illustrated such a system where the priming osciliator is pulsed in synchronism with the main oscillator. While such circuits employ the broad principles of supplying priming oscillations in accordance with my invention, I do. not claim such modifications as my invention. While I have shown particular embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and I contemplate by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my in= vention.

What I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is;

l. The method of decreasing the time of buildup of radio frequency oscillation in an oscillator having a relatively long time of build-up during pulses of unidirectional operating potential, which comprises exciting the oscillator with a relatively weak resonant radio frequency volt age having the frequency atwhich the oscillator operates coincident with the pulses of operating voltage.

2. In a cavity resonator, means for exciting radio frequency oscillations therein in response to intermittent pulse voltages, and means for coupling into the resonator a radio frequency voltage coincident with said oscillations and of the same frequency, thereby to increase the rate of build-up of .radio frequency oscillation under the pulse excitation.

3. In radio locating equipment, a receiver for pulses of radio waves comprising an oscillator coupled to receive pulses, means for energizing "the oscillator with a unidirectional pulse voltage such that the coincidence with a received pulse 15 causes a substantial difference in the oscillation,

means for shifting the phases of the exciting but small amplitude are produced and upon coincidence of a pulse of operating voltage with a received pulse oscillations of much larger amplitude are produced, and indicating means responsive to the oscillation for providing an indication of the coincidence of the pulses of opcrat ng voltage and received pulses.

5.'In radio locating equipment, acavity resonator for connection with an antenna, means for exciting oscillation in the resonator by relatively wide unidirectional pulses for transmission and by relatively narrow unidirectional pulses, for reception, the narrow pulses being such that the coincidence with a received signal causes a substantial change in the oscillation, and indicating means responsive to the oscillation.

6. In radio locating equipment, an. osc llator for connection with an antenna, means for exciting the oscillator by short. high intensity, uni-' directional pulses for transmission, means for exciting the oscillator intermediate the high intensity pulses at a lower intensity level such that an echo cou led into the oscillator causes a substantial change in oscillation, and indicating means responsive to the oscillation.

7. In radio locating equipment, a transmitter and receiver having an oscillator coupled to an antenna, means for pulsing the oscillator at the desired repetition rate for transmission with unidirectional pulses of an intensity such that the oscillation builds up to its full amplitude for a substantial part of the duration of the pulse, means for pulsing the oscillator intermediate the transmitted pulses with lower intensity unidirectional pulses such that the oscillation builds up to its full amplitude only in response to a coincident received echo signal.

8. In combination, in a system for receiving pulses of high frequency energy, a pulse-receiver including an oscillator to which the received pulses are supplied and including means to supply to said oscillator pulses of unidirectional operating potential to render said oscillator periodlcally' operative to generate highfrequency oscillations, said high frequency oscillations being modified in response to said received pu ses to have greater intensity during said received pulses than between said received pulses, and means recillations to be built-up and of intensity lessthan the intensity of the oscillations to be built up.

10. The combination, in a pulse receiving system, of an electron discharge oscillator. means to supply to said oscillator pulses of unidirectional 12 operating potential recurring at the frequency of pulses to be received, said electron discharge oscillator being inoperative between said pulses of operating potential and operating to initiate the build-up of oscillations during said pulses of operating potential having the frequency of said oscillations to be received, means to supply the .received oscillations to said oscillator to increase the intensity to which said oscillations build up during .said pulses of operating potential, and means controlled by said increased intensity of said oscillations.

11. In an echo apparatus, a normally inoperative electron discharge oscillator, an antenna coupled thereto, means to supply unidirectional control pulses thereto of long duration for transmission and short duration for reception, said oscillator operating to build up oscillations of relatively weak intensity to oscillations of strong intensity with delay and said short pulses having intensity substantially equal to said delay, said strong intensity oscillations being radiated by said antenna and received thereby after reflection from a remote object to increase the intensity of oscillations built up in said oscillator during said short pulses, and means to phase said short pulses for coincidence with echoes of said long pulses.

12. In' combination, a normally inoperative high frequency electron discharge oscillator, means to supply to said oscillator relatively low frequency pulses of unidirectional control potential to render said oscillator periodically operative, and means to supply to said oscillator oscillations of relatively weak intensity and of the same high frequency at which said oscillator operates to stabilize the build-up of oscillations in said oscillator at the beginning of each pulse. l

13. The combination, in a receiver, of a normally inoperative electron.discharge oscillator, means to supply to said oscillator pulses of unidirectional control potential to render said oscillator'operative, said oscillator operating in the absence of received oscillations to generate oscillations having the frequency of oscillations to be received but of weak intensity, means to supply received oscillations to said oscillator during said pulses to prime said oscillator whereby said oscillator generates oscillations of much greater intensity, and a detector for the generated oscillations.

RICHARD C. JENSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,924,174 Wolff Aug. 29,- 1933 2,051,372 Farnsworth Aug. 18, 1936 2,103,362 Hansel] Dec. 28, 1937 2,177,061 Gerhard Oct. 24, 1939 2,181,568 Kotowski et a1. Nov. 28, 1939 2,189,549 Hershberger Feb. 6, 1940 2,203,004 West June 4, 1940 2,252,442 Schlesinger Aug. 12, 1941 2,309,525 Mohr Jan. 26, 1943 2,333,688 Shepard Nov. 9, 1943 2,392,380 Varian Jan. 8, 1946 2,416,367 Young Feb. 25, 1947 2,418,121 Hoffman Apr. 1, 1947 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,498,495 February 21, 1950 RICHARD C. JENSEN It is hereby certified that errors appear in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 3, line 12, for occillation read oscillation; column 8, line 19, for the reference numeral 177 read 117 and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 25th day of July, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Oommz'ssz'oner of Patents.

Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,498,495 February 21, 1950 RICHARD (J. JENSEN It is hereby certified that errors appear in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 3, line 12, for occillation read oscillation; column 8, line 19, for the reference numeral 177 read 117 and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 25th day of July, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

